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Formation of Western Christendom

CD1-36_001

The formation of Western Christendom.
In spite of the great achievements of the patristic period, in religion and life, in theology, liturgy and art which were embodied in the great age of Byzantine culture, the period ended catastrophically and tragically. As medieval culture ended in the Protestant Reformation and the separation of Northern Europe form Catholic unity, so the patristic - Byzantine age ended in the loss of the Christian East. The great schisms of the 5th century after the Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon led to the formation of new national churches - Nestorian in Persia and Monophysite in Egypt Syria and Armenia.
The attempts of the Byzantine Empire to maintain religious unity took the form either of compromises which produced a new series of heresies and schisms like that of the monothelites or of a policy of repression which increased the disaffection of the Eastern peoples and provinces towards the Empire. Finally the whole fabric of the Orthodox Byzantine Empire in the Eastern provinces collapsed under the sudden unexpected onslaught of the Arabs from the desert who were welded together and launched on a career of world conquest by the new religion of Mohammed. Under his inspiration the Arab armies swept across the world from Central Asia to Spain. This was real world revolution which changed the whole history of West Asia and North Africa, and it was undoubtedly made possible by the religious disaffection of the Eastern and Southern provinces of the Byzantine Empire. Thus the vast opportunity that was opened in the patristic age for the conversion of the oriental world to Christianity was thrown away in a series of disastrous and largely unnecessary disputes and lost for ever

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This image may not be reproduced, published or deposited in another institution for any reason without the express written consent of the Department of Special Collections, University of St. Thomas Libraries, 2115 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55105; (651) 962-5467; uarchives@stthomas.edu

Transcript

The formation of Western Christendom.
In spite of the great achievements of the patristic period, in religion and life, in theology, liturgy and art which were embodied in the great age of Byzantine culture, the period ended catastrophically and tragically. As medieval culture ended in the Protestant Reformation and the separation of Northern Europe form Catholic unity, so the patristic - Byzantine age ended in the loss of the Christian East. The great schisms of the 5th century after the Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon led to the formation of new national churches - Nestorian in Persia and Monophysite in Egypt Syria and Armenia.
The attempts of the Byzantine Empire to maintain religious unity took the form either of compromises which produced a new series of heresies and schisms like that of the monothelites or of a policy of repression which increased the disaffection of the Eastern peoples and provinces towards the Empire. Finally the whole fabric of the Orthodox Byzantine Empire in the Eastern provinces collapsed under the sudden unexpected onslaught of the Arabs from the desert who were welded together and launched on a career of world conquest by the new religion of Mohammed. Under his inspiration the Arab armies swept across the world from Central Asia to Spain. This was real world revolution which changed the whole history of West Asia and North Africa, and it was undoubtedly made possible by the religious disaffection of the Eastern and Southern provinces of the Byzantine Empire. Thus the vast opportunity that was opened in the patristic age for the conversion of the oriental world to Christianity was thrown away in a series of disastrous and largely unnecessary disputes and lost for ever